Quote:
Originally Posted by TSteven
Could you please expand more on "the colonizing group had a quota of 70 and everybody else divided what was left"? This type of colonizing (i.e. during formal) is fascinating.
Specifically, how does the whole preference party thing work? For sake of discussion, say the numbers are the same. Does Alpha Delta Pi turn in their "first bid list" with 70 names while the other five chapters turn in their "first bid list" with 20? Is there a "second bid list" etc.?
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Not to get into membership selection, but in a full-on formal recruitment, if there isn't an interview (by whom ever the expansion team sends etc.), then *generally speaking*, how does it work? Does the recruitment mirror the other chapters? I can understand how philanthropy night would be easy to convey. But say for example, if it is "skit night" or "spirit night". Do the undergraduate girls (i.e.the ones from other chapters) and/or alumnae perform a skit? I'm not trying to be silly, but I am curious as to how it might work since the concept of NPC formal recruitment is to put all the chapters on some sort of equal footing.
And do the undergrads from the other colleges get a say in member selection?
Thanks for the indulgence.
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Thanks for the questions TSteven. Right now you're getting to the point where it's pushing my knowledge of past recruitments at W&L. OK.
In 1991, a NPC group attempted to colonize at Washington and Lee and failed. They conducted their colonization efforts AFTER formal recruitment. There were just not enough women that didn't go Greek in formal recruitment to support a strong colony. So in 1992, when Pi Beta Phi (my chapter, by the way) colonized, they held recruitment the way I've mentioned - with a quota of 70 (total at W&L) for Pi Phi and everyone else dividing what was left among the other three groups according to normal quota assignment formulas. This procedure was again used in 1997 with Kappa Delta. I was guessing around 20 for the other groups' quota because:
W&L's 2008 quota = 37 (I think)
37 x 5 = 185 women pledged (technically there were more than this because some groups got quota plus, but for the sake of simplicity)
185 - 70 = 115, approximately the number left after taking out a colonizing class
115 / 5 = 23, my conjectural 2009 quota for the "original" 5 groups
As far as bid lists go, that would be correct. ADPi would turn in their first bid list with 70 names. The other groups' first bid lists would have 23, or whatever the quota turns out to be in reality.
It's also possible ADPi could take average chapter size rather than total of 70. Average chapter size is going to be a significantly higher number than 70, but at the same time, taking that many wouldn't leave many members left over for the other groups.
As far as membership selection, I am much less qualified to answer that question. I do know (as stated before in this thread I think) that Pi Phi and KD both used a combination of alums, national officers, and actives from other schools to conduct their colonizing recruitments. I know that the William & Mary Pi Phi chapter was the one who came for my chapter's recruitment (don't know about KD). As far as ADPi goes it looks like a combination of different Virginia chapters, maybe led by GWU, will be participating.
I agree with you that certain nights would be easier than others. Philanthropy night should be easy. Sisterhood night should also be fairly easy - it's basically a sisterhood video so a national expansion video could probably be used, or the national office could make something new. Skit night... might be harder. I guess they'd get the collegiates to do a skit?
It's also possible that the colonizing groups do other activities that don't necessarily line up with the "official" theme for the night. I am sure W&L Panhel would give them a lot of leeway on this. I also don't think it would really hurt them in recruitment because the PNMs would understand the need for the difference. Quite honestly, though, I just don't know enough about what happened with Pi Phi and KD to speak to this, and of course ADPi could always do its own thing.
As far as membership selection... frankly, without formal interviews (and I don't see how formally interviewing EVERYONE would be possible in this setting), I don't see how they couldn't use the other collegiates' feedback in membership selection to some extent. By the very nature of the beast, the collegiates are probably going to outnumber alums, I would think. I just don't see how a small group of alums or national officers could legitimately meet all the PNMs during this type of recruitment. But again, I don't have any specific knowledge of how that worked in Pi Phi or KD's colonization.
I could, I suppose, email some of our founding members to find out. I know a few...